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Seve Ballesteros used clever trick for perfect speed on the greens

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Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today, we revisit a clever putting tip from Seve Ballesteros from our September 1986 issue.

One of the biggest keys for reducing three-putts is dialing in your speed. If you can hit your putts with the proper speed, you will leave yourself with makable second putts — even if your aim isn’t perfect.

Recreational golfers typically struggle with this skill, particularly when you introduce break into the equation. These putts that require the marriage of line and speed can short-circuit the average Joe’s brain and lead to many three-putts.

If you’re someone who struggles on these types of putts, worry not. Thanks to a clever trick from five-time major winner Seve Ballesteros published in the pages of GOLF Magazine in 1986, you won’t have to fear three-putting anymore. Check out his advice below.

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Seve’s trick for matching line and speed

One of the club golfer’s biggest problems on the greens is being too bold and knocking putts through any break.

Because sharp left-to-right and right-to-left putts depend so heavily on pace, they require an expert touch to get the ball rolling on the right line at the right speed — slow enough to take the slope but fast enough to reach the hole. Hitting the ball just right is a tough assignment, particularly when a match is on the line. 

I understand this problem well, which is why I’ve developed a strategic — and slightly unorthodox — method for putting that takes a little pressure off hitting the putt at the perfect speed. And if you aren’t sweating the pace, I guarantee you’ll make more breakers. 

The key is swinging on an out-to-in path, which means I catch the ball on the toe of the putter at impact. Because the toe end of the putter is lighter than the center, it effectively deadens the hit, allowing for a more aggressive stroke. Naturally, the combination of cutting across the ball and catching it on the toe is going to cause the ball to move a hair to the right. By using this rightward spin, I can hit the ball on an “inside line” to the crest of the break and let it drift back and down to the hole. 

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illustration showing how to hit seve ballesteros' cut putt
Try an out-to-in path to make more putts.

GOLF Magazine

Exactly how you hit the “inside line” putt depends on the direction the putt is breaking. 

Faced with a right-to-left putt, many golfers make one of two mistakes: 1. Fearing they won’t reach the crest of the break, they hit the ball too hard and run right through it; or 2. Attempting to be too delicate, they never reach the crest, so the ball falls off line on the low side of the hole. 

I take precautions against both mistakes by setting the blade square to a point inside the highest point of the break and then making a firm stroke. I take an open stance, which promotes the out-to-in stroke and a hit off the toe of the putter blade. Now when the ball reaches the crest of the break, it is moving fast enough not to fall off course, but slowly enough to take the break. 

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Again, to hit the left-to-right putt, I set up open and aim the putter blade inside the crest of the break. This way the ball will drift back to the normal break and toward the cup. 

I’ve been using this method for a few years with success, especially on lightning-fast greens. Despite its unorthodoxy, I consider this percentage putting because even if I hit the ball a little easier or harder than I should, the ball still has a chance of rolling in one of the side doors; that’s a luxury the bold putter never has. He has to be right on the money, otherwise the ball will run past the hole or pop out because it’s moving with too much steam. 

If you fall into the category of the overly bold putter, make a visit to the practice green and give my method a try. I’m sure it will give you the inside line to lower scores.

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Wyndham Clark’s meteoric turnaround has 1 main club behind it

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25 August 2026

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After his latest victory — his third in the last four months — Wyndham Clark is now firmly in the race for the PGA Tour Player of the Year award, and it all goes back to his putting.

Clark can easily attribute his rapid career turnaround in the second half of this season to his switch to Ping’s Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB putter.

At the Valspar Championship in March, Wyndham Clark was lost on the putting greens. He was 147th in SG: Putting on the PGA Tour and ranked 85th in the FedEx Cup after a missed cut.

That week, he used a putter that he had literally purchased from his home club’s pro shop and lost more than half-a-shot per round on the greens.

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But at the following event in Houston, Clark first found Ping’s then-unreleased Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset putter. The Scottsdale TEC features a soft, but responsive PEBAX insert that’s proven very popular among pros. Tony Finau has used one since February while Harris English recently switched to a Scottsdale TEC putter in Memphis.

The putter also has a unique white top with Ping’s EyeQ alignment technology, which is aimed at keeping the eye still, which Ping’s research leads to better strokes.

Lastly, the Ally Blue Onset model Clark picked up utilizes a shaft axis that is in front of the center of gravity of the putter, which Ping says leads to a more stable and consistent stroke.

Clark used the standard-length putter for two events before switching to the 38-inch counterbalanced version with a 17g tip weight and 13g of lead tape on the sole. The idea was to make the putter more like his Jailbird, which he used during his first three PGA Tour titles and the 2023 U.S. Open.

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Since then, Clark has won three events, including this week and his second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He’s also catapulted from one of the worst putters on the Tour to now one of the best. He led the field in the category at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where he shot 30 under and won, and at the Travelers Championship the week after the U.S. Open. He’s now up to 16th on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting.

Clark also made history, signing a putter-only endorsement contract with Ping just before his U.S. Open victory. He became the first player in Ping’s 50-plus years of sponsoring Tour players to sign a putter-only contract.


PING Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB Custom Putter
 
View Product

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore

A collage of four close-up photos shows a white golf putter from different angles, including the face, top, grip with Super Stroke branding, and a top-down view on green grass—similar to those seen in Wyndham Clark WITB features.

Jack Hirsh/GOLF

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Putter: Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB
Loft: 3˚
Lie: 70˚
Length: 38″
Headweight: 400g
Insert: PEBAX
Grip: SuperStroke Tour 3.0 17″

Want to overhaul your bag for 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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Shedeur Sanders gets more bad news from Todd Monken after Browns name Deshaun Watson QB1

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18 minutes ago

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25 August 2026

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The Cleveland Browns have finally made their QB1 decision after weeks of speculation — and unfortunately for Shedeur Sanders, it does not involve him.

On Monday, head coach Todd Monken announced during media availability that Deshaun Watson would start for the team in the Week 1 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars. He said:

“I took in the full body of work over the course of the offseason to training camp to the games, the joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points.

“I felt that way going into the last game, but wasn’t sure. And after we talked as a staff and we re-looked at everything, we’re going to go that direction.”

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

#Browns have named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders, league sources say.

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Watson had split reps with Sanders during the Browns’ first two preseason games, both losses. Over those two games, Watson had 16 completions for 162 yards and an interception, and he was loudly booed by the home crowd during his reappearance at Huntington Bank Field, which he criticized during his post-game press conference.

Monken, however, reiterated that that negative reaction “absolutely” did not factor into his decision:

“Ultimately, the fans want us to win. That’s our job as coaches, why we’re hired to try and put the best product on the field. And when we don’t, then I understand their frustration. But ultimately they don’t decide who plays.”

ALSO READ: Browns HC Todd Monken reveals Shedeur Sanders’ reaction to Deshaun Watson getting QB1 job

ALSO READ: “CLEARLY above Todd Monken”: Former LB drops major conspiracy behind Browns’ Deshaun Watson decision despite Shedeur Sanders’ performance

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Mina Kimes rips Browns for naming Deshaun Watson QB1 over Shedeur Sanders

Fans have not been the only ones unhappy with the Browns’ choice of Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders, however.

In a video posted to Bluesky, ESPN host Mina Kimes ripped the organization for continuing to back a player who, sexual assault allegations aside, has proven to be mostly terrible when he does play — to the detriment of the fanbase:

“The organization, in making this decision, has proven that despite the fact that they have one of the most loyal fanbases in sports, they are not aligned with their fans. They are aligned with their quarterback. Because, like what he said earlier this week, they simply do not care.”

The Browns still have one more preseason game to play — at home against the New England Patriots, with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET. Neither Sanders nor Watson will play — Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green will split snaps as they dispute the third-stringer position.